Shaping the future of Beavercreek

Open house will give the public an opportunity to comment on development planned for 450-acre parcel east of Beavercreek Road

An open house is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 10, to allow Oregon City residents and neighbors to review a concept plan for a 450-acre parcel of land that lies east of Beavercreek Road between Clackamas Community College and the Oregon City Golf Course.

'We've had a citizen advisory committee and a technical advisory committee working on this since last May,' said Senior Planner Tony Konkol, with Oregon City. 'They've come up with a plan, and we'll be showing that off at the open house.'

The plan directly impacts 42 property owners who hold a combined total of 51 individual parcels, ranging in size between less than an acre to 63 acres. Under the plan, the mixed farm and forest land would give way to an industrial area, as well as new residential and mixed-use developments - such as the North Main Village complex in Milwaukie.

'The Beavercreek Concept Plan Area includes land that has been inside the Urban Growth Boundary for over a decade, with additional land that was added in 2002 and 2004,' said Metro Council Brian Newman. 'It was brought into the UGB to provide employment opportunities.

'It's right across the street from Clackamas Community College, so it's specifically intended to provide applied learning opportunities - giving students the chance to do on-the-job training.'

Newman explained that the Metro regional government requires all cities within its territory to develop a concept plan before new land can be annexed.

'As we go through this process, we identify general uses for the land,' said Konkol. 'When the individual property owners decide to annex into the city, we would then go ahead with more specific zoning decisions. This land will remain in the county until the owners decide to annex into the city.'

The open house on Tuesday will be the public's final opportunity to comment on the plan before it moves on to the city planning commission.

'The project team will be there, including city staff and our consulting team,' Konkol said. 'We'll be there to answer questions and listen to comments, which we will forward them along to the citizen advisory committee.

'They will process the comments, tweak the plan if necessary, then pass it along to the city planning commission.'

Newman added, 'The open house is really important. It's the opportunity for citizens to weigh in on the process and let the planners know if they are on the right track, or not.

'You want to weigh in now - not when the plan is in front of the city council.'

According to Konkel, if the plan meets with the approval of the planning commission and the city commission, it could be finalized this summer - although the timeframe for development would remain uncertain.

'Our annexations are property-owner driven,' he said. 'We're doing long-range planning, looking out 20 to 25 years. We're happy if the development comes in two years, or 20.'